A Note to Healthiness

Hopefully, I'm not jinxing myself with this, but I've noticed something over the last year. We've been sick A LOT less. Every year since we've had kids, we've been sick from September to February too often, with a strong virus somewhere in between as well without fail. My husband always used up every sick day … Continue reading A Note to Healthiness →

Cooking Non-Masterclass Meals: Desserts

Something I spent a good deal of time on this year was learning the art of pie decorating. I never did very much before - a basic pie weave, a simple pressed trim on the crust. Nothing very pretty, really. I was more focused on the taste. But I mastered a few pies to taste, … Continue reading Cooking Non-Masterclass Meals: Desserts →

Meeting Robert Irvine/Fresh Kitchen Grand Opening

Back in the days of early marriage and struggling to put dinners together (re: I was making Hamburger Helper and a lot of boxed pasta), my husband brought home a discounted cookbook he saw in a bin at the grocery store. At the time, I had just started watching Food Network and was loving Robert … Continue reading Meeting Robert Irvine/Fresh Kitchen Grand Opening →

Christmas Menu

I've been so busy this month, from running my kids to Nativity practice, choir practice, PREP school, ballet class, (etc, etc) while also trying to keep up my Book Event Coordinator duties (ie, sorting through hundreds of donated books each week), keep up to date with query replies, make next year's writing/cooking goal list, and … Continue reading Christmas Menu →

Thomas Keller’s Cote de Boeuf and Blanched Asparagus

I have a confession - I don't cook steak if I can help it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE steak. Like, if I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be steak (topped with mushrooms and onions and cooked by my husband.) But I married … Continue reading Thomas Keller’s Cote de Boeuf and Blanched Asparagus →

MasterClass Winner – Massimo Autographed Apron!

Last post, I talked about my two attempts at Massimo's pesto pasta. Well, I also had another great time with Masterclass and Massimo - they had a giveaway for an Osteria Francescana apron, autographed by Massimo himself, during the time I was taking his class and doing the cooking experiments! I was a very lucky … Continue reading MasterClass Winner – Massimo Autographed Apron! →

I am MasterClass’s Student of the Month!!

What a crazy, exciting, fun, unexpected experience! I am MasterClass's Student of the Month! Last month, I was contacted by the MasterClass team, asking if I'd mind a phone call interview so they could learn more about myself. I'll give you a clue about myself here - I am a writer for a reason. Talking … Continue reading I am MasterClass’s Student of the Month!! →

Recipe #11 – Roasted Whole Chicken: Thomas Keller And Gordon Ramsay

Recipe #11 Roasted Whole Chicken Thomas Keller Teaches Cooking Techniques II: Meats, Stocks and Sauces Chapter 09 AND Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes at Home Chapter 09 This is something I've wanted to do for weeks: take two recipes I loved of the same dish and combine their best parts. I never had … Continue reading Recipe #11 – Roasted Whole Chicken: Thomas Keller And Gordon Ramsay →

Recipe #10: Thomas Keller’s Fried Chicken

Recipe #10 Fried Chicken Thomas Keller Teaches Cooking Techniques II: Meats, Stocks, and Sauces Chapter 05 After a week of being laid up in bed from a particularly nasty virus, I'm finally back to food! I cooked Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc fried chicken right before falling ill. I started with a whole chicken, breaking it … Continue reading Recipe #10: Thomas Keller’s Fried Chicken →

Recipe #9 – Thomas Keller’s Scrambled Eggs (2 Ways)

Recipe #9 Scrambled Eggs (2 ways) Thomas Keller Teaches Cooking Techniques Chapter 23 Since we were on the topic of eggs in the last post, I decided to continue along his egg section and make scrambled eggs. Thomas Keller shows us how to make the classic American scrambled eggs (which I'll admit, might be classic … Continue reading Recipe #9 – Thomas Keller’s Scrambled Eggs (2 Ways) →